Stone Walls (Jercy AU)

PERCY

Percy walked through the frigid December weather slowly, his mind not even his own at the moment. He felt as if everyone was starting to catch on to what was really going on. He couldn't let anyone find out and Gabe beat him senseless into never having the courage to even come home late after school. Percy wanted to kick himself in his own ass for being so stupid, so ignorant. And the worst part is that Jason seems to be catching on too, but Percy knew that was his own doing. His head was so up in the clouds that he didn't realize how easy it would be to put the pieces together.

Percy just shook his head to get rid of those thoughts because as he walked through the stained brown doors of his rundown apartment, he knew bigger things awaited him. As Percy walked to the elevator, he realized his heart didn't race the way it used to when Gabe first started his brutality. He realized his breath didn't quiver from the fear of getting punched in the gut. And as the elevator doors opened and Percy walked in, he realized he was used to it all; as if it was his routine. A permanent routine he has followed everyday since he was 14, which is saying a lot because now he's 17, living the same familiar nightmare.

The elevator doors opened and Percy walked down the hall to his apartment 5B. It sounded very quiet, which made Percy feel a little relieved. Quiet meant Gabe was probably passed out drunk or out playing Poker at a friend's house. 

When Percy opened the door, a horrible stench hit him instantly. He crinkled his nose and pulled his sweater neck up to his nose. His eyes widened slightly when he saw the condition his already disgusting apartment was in: there was fallen Heineken beer bottle on the table which was dripping onto the hardwood floor, dishes piled in the sink, a half eaten pizza slice on a chair, something white on the couch (maybe mayo), vomit on the living room carpet and cards scattered all over the floor. And there was Gabe, knocked out on the couch with the white stuff on it. Right across from Gabe on the little recliner chair with coffee stains was a guy he had never seen before. Maybe another gross friend of Gabe's or a random stranger he met in the apartment building.

Gross, Percy thought, but he started to clean up the mess anyways, because Gabe sure wasn't going to clean it.

A bottle of Clorox and a lot of garbage bags later, Percy finally got the apartment back to the way it was, but slightly cleaner. Gabe and the stranger didn't move an inch while Percy cleaned their mess, and for that, Percy truly was grateful. Percy walked into the bathroom with his blue towel and got the hot water running while he took off his jeans and shirt.

Then Percy heard banging on the door. "I need to piss!" It wasn't Gabe's voice, so it had to be that stranger.

The doorknob started wiggling aggressively and the stranger kept saying to let him in so he could use the bathroom, so Percy grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. He reached for the doorknob but before he could even unlock the door, the door swung open and the stranger stood there with a beer bottle in his hand. His dark brown hair was choppy and crazy looking. His shirt had a blotch of vomit on it. He looked like he didn't even know what planet he was on.

Percy opened his mouth to say he'll leave so he can use the bathroom, but the stranger said "Well, aren't you a pretty boy." Percy felt his heart stop. He felt his body sweating, boiling up from the fear building up inside him. He just stood there, clutching his towel, while the stranger eyed him up and down like a hungry predator. He started to trudge towards Percy. He slowly got closer and closer, eventually reaching his hand out to grab Percy's towel, but Percy was able to snap out of his fearful state. He shoved the guy out the door and slammed it shut, locking it and bracing his back against it with every ounce of body strength he possibly had. He heard some screaming and yelling and some more banging on the bathroom door but Percy kept his back against that door until it was finally quiet again.

Percy slid down the door, panting uncontrollably. Tears started to fill his eyes and he felt like screaming. Instead, he just sat there with his hand over his mouth, trying to cry as quietly as he could.